My male guppy stays at the bottom of the tank hiding in one of those ‘caves.’ Does anyone know what I shoulddo
The tank is 10 gallon and has the following in it;
-one female guppy
-one male guppy
-one black ‘goldfish?’
-one goldfish
-two tiger-like fish
-algae-eating fish
-two decorative hiding spots for fish
-fake weeds
Okay, it is my MALE guppy. He stays in one of the decorative hiding spots until the fish are fed, comes out to eat, then slinks right back into the decorative cave. Does anyone know whats wrong with him? The female guppy and all the other fish do very well, though the ‘goldfish’ sorta… fight every once and a while.. Any help whatsoever will be highly appreciated. Thanks!!!
Thanks for your answers (so far) and I’ll try them out until the guppy (whose name is Tigertail) decides he can come out and be with the others. Also, I just noticed he’s getting purple/yellow ‘spots’? My science teacher has a guppy the same kind, male, and is bigger, but also has the spots. Do u think its a ” maturity ” thing?
Thanks, FishieFin, I bet that’s it. And, yes, they’re Tiger Barbs.
You need a bigger tank perhaps so he has a bigger territory. Or maybe he is just a loner?
Your guppy might be staying at the bottom due to water conditions. You should get a freshwater test kit and test your water. For now, you should change some of the water to help out. Does your guppy hid while your away from the tank? Try sneaking maybe it’s just scared. How long have you had your guppy?
Your guppy is suffering from fish peer pressure. Maybe, during a late night chat session, he overshared, or maybe admitted to having a thing for other male guppies. Eventually the rest of the crowd will forget what he said or did (how long is a fish memory, anyway)and he will not feel the need to hide in his cave anymore.
Ya its because of the tiger fish. Most likelyyou have a male tiger fish that is bullying him. You might want to get another 10 gallon to separate them
The most likely cause is overcrowding. A 10 gallon tank is too small for one goldfish, let alone two plus all the other fish you have stuffed in there. Also, guppies like having more of their kind around, so one male and one female are likely not enough for him to feel safe with all the neighbors. Get a 40 gallon + tank and put the goldfish in that, keep the water cool in that tank, high 60′s is good. You probably should get another tank for the tiger-like fish, but I have no idea what species they are so I don’t know if that is necessary. In the 10 gallon tank, just keep the guppies, and add 2-3 more females to keep the male happy and allow breeding to occur. In the guppy tank though, and the other tropical tank (not the goldfish tank) keep the water temperature around 74 F. I hope your tank is cycled, and you have a power filter and heater and thermometer on the tank….?
Watch your guppy. Is he always there when you walk in? Or does he hid when you approach the tank? If he hides when you come in, then he is probably just scared of the movements and such. If he is always there all the time, he might be getting bullied by other fish. Keep in mind guppies like being in bigger groups, and he might feel alone without his “pals”. Also I strongly suggest not keeping goldfish and tropicals together. Goldfish like cool water, tropicals (like guppies) like warm. Goldfish eat goldfish food, tropicals eat special made tropical fish food.
If your guppy looks sick, then try to diagnose his sickness immediately, If you don’t feel uncomfortable doing this, then try scooping him out into a small container with tank water so you can look at him. If you don’t want to do this, try looking at him the best as you can from the hiding space or watch as he comes up to eat. Ick, a very common illness, looks like white salt or sand looking spots on the fish. Otherwise, search google for other illnesses.
Wow, that was a long post. I hope I helped you! Good luck! Guppies are one of my favorite fish! ♥
Oh, PS: If you want to keep all these fish, a 50 gallon would be the best tank size!
PPS: Seeker, guppies like warmer temps (78 degrees)
PPPS: By tiger fish, do you mean tiger barbs? Heres a pic of them:
http://www.funfishtank.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/tiger-barb.jpg
If that is the fish they are, then they too like being in bigger groups with 5 or more.